


A Bridge Burned

by your_local_queer



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - Assassins & Hitmen, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Assassination, Assassination Plot(s), Child Abuse, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, F/F, Found Family, Gen, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Murder, Physical Abuse, Team as Family, Tumblr: Writing-prompt-s, Verbal Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:21:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,586
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28399899
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/your_local_queer/pseuds/your_local_queer
Summary: Amity Blight has been hurt enough, so she does the only thing she can think of. She hires the Owl Lady, the Boiling Isles most notorious assassin, to kill her parents. The Owl Lady and her human apprentice take matters into their own hands. For free.Based at some point between Understanding Willow and Wing It Like Witches. Luz was sent to Eda intentionally by Camila in this AU.
Relationships: Amity Blight/Luz Noceda, Emira Blight/Viney
Comments: 3
Kudos: 70





	1. Murder for Hire

Amity wrapped an arm around herself, her other hand clenching a small bag tightly. She choked back a sob and whimpered as she crawled to the window of her room, using the headrest of her bed to boost her body over the sill.  
She gasped lightly as her fingers gripped the trellis winding its way up the outer wall. She shimmed down, carefully setting her feet on the hard stone path that wound its way around the property.   
Her parents wouldn't notice her here. Their room was on the other side of the manor. She worried briefly that her siblings would see her, but surely they were fast asleep.  
She hesitated, clutching her bruised and aching side. Was she really doing this? A pulse of agony under her fingers gave her an answer.  
She marched forward, through the garden and to the rusty back gate that creaked ever so slightly and out towards town. To the night market.

* * *

Eda set a freshly sharpened knife on the table and turned as the tent flap behind her opened.  
"I found that potion you were looking for. It was in the portal chest. I had to fight the teeth," the brunette declared as she stepped out into the booth. She held up a bottle full of shiny green liquid that could almost be confused for a crystal if not for the treacly sloshing motion it had, even without being shaken.  
"Luz, you can't just wave poisons around in public," the older witch hissed, snatching the bottle from her apprentice's grip. "And I put it there. I have a very profitable _investment_ I need that for."  
"I was just looking for the _Nex Mors_ spell and found that in the chest with it." She scanned the market, sweeping over people dodging about doing their best to remain unseen. "Did the client come yet?"  
"No." She sheathed the knife from the counter at her hip, nearly invisible in the folds of her dress. "I told him to be here tonight or he'll have to take his business elsewhere."  
"Are you the Owl Lady?" A small, hushed voice piped up. The assassin and her apprentice turned to a young girl pulling her hood farther over her head. She shifted her weight and coins rattled inside her purse.  
"Walking around here with a bag that full is brave, kid." Eda leaned over the table and grinned a sort of sly grin that startled the girl. "And why might a girl so young and rich as one Amity Blight be looking for the Boiling Isles most notorious assassin?"  
The witchling straightened her back and whinced, pinching her side. Eda's face softened. "I want you to kill my parents." She pulled a wade of cash from the purse and stuck it out in front of her. "Alador and Odalia Blight. I want them dead."  
Eda and Luz glanced at each other. "Why don't you come inside and we can discuss your proposition." The Owl Lady gestured toward the closed tent flap. Amity shoved the money back in her bag and studied the people standing at the tent entrance before stepping forward into the dark room.  
"So tell me why it is you showed up at my stand covered in tearstains and bruises with your mother's purse at the dead of night," the older witch demanded. Luz activated a light glyph and let it hang in the air as a small fuzzy demon crawled up her back.  
"She's young for a customer," he vocalized loudly before yawning. "Did someone send her to learn like you?" The creature poked Luz's cheek.  
"No, King. She came her for a job." The apprentice smiled softly at the bruised witch.  
Amity nervously smiled back and turned to Eda as the older witch pulled out chairs. "I came here to request the discrete m- murder of Alador and Odalia Blight."  
"I know what you want. I want to know why you came here."  
Amity glanced back at Luz, who nodded energetically, nearly knocking the small demon from her shoulders. Amity dropped her gaze and twisted the clasp on her bag open and closed.  
"They hit me," she whispered softly. "They used to just yell and threaten. I think the soft threats are scarier. Now-" she choked and Luz gently rested a hand on her shoulder. "Now they hit me. Father kicked me today." Her voice trail into silence.  
Eda sighed. "Were you planning on going back there tonight?" Amity nodded. Eda stood up. "You go to Hexside, right? Luz will bring you to the Owl House directly after school tomorrow." Amity opened her purse and Eda closed it. "No. I'm not going to take your money for this." Amity gaped. "On one condition," Eda continued sharply. Amity slammed her mouth shut. "You regularly report to my house and help me prepare for this job. It's one of the hardest requests I've taken."  
"I don't- I can't-" Amity cleared her throat, tears pooling at the edges of her eyes. "Thank you, Owl Lady."  
"Please, kid. Call me Eda. And you don't need to thank me. I'm an assassin, not a monster." She flashed the girl a wide grin that could either be threatening or genuine; which energy it had Amity couldn't tell.  
"Eda! Your client is here!" Luz called from the tent entrance.  
"Head out the back and follow the tents to the edge of the market. And no matter who talks to you or what they say, don't stop until you get home. You've got a lot of cash on you and your hurt." Eda nudged the witchling farther into the tent. "Remember you and Luz have a study session after school tomorrow." The older witch winked before sauntering into the busy market to conduct her questionable business.  
Amity stood still for a moment before slinking out the back tent flap and into a dark ally, sliding through the dark like a shadow. A figment that never existed as she made her way into her room and under her blanket; the moon her only witness.


	2. Arrangement of Familial Affairs

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long, but alas, I am just a tired high schooler.

Amity glanced around nervously, shifting her feet and leaning against the railing. Students passed by her, mostly exiting the school on their way home, chattering excitedly about their weekend.  
"Hey Mittens," her brother's voice piped, causing her to jump. "Who you waiting for?"  
"Uh, a friend. I need to study harder if I want to pass this next exam perfectly." She lowered her gaze. "Not that you would know," she muttered.  
"Aww, Mittens wants to be like us, Edric. Isn't that cute?" The female twin leaned on her younger sister's shoulder and Amity restrained a grimace.  
"It's very cute that she wants to surpass us. But we have the highest scores in the class."  
Amity shoved her sister away and shouldered her bag. "I can and I will, Emira." A blur of movement caught her eye and she glanced over to see Luz waving her hands frantically.  
"Amity! Are you ready to study?" She smiled brightly and Amity smiled back, thankful for the support of her cover story.  
"Yeah." The witch pushed past her siblings and waved half-heartedly to them. "I'll be home later!"

* * *

"First order of business," Eda said as she closed the door. "How long have they been hitting you?"  
Amity eyed the assassin. "Why do you need to know that?" She set her bag on the old, stained couch and hesitantly sat on it.  
"I'm going to use it to judge how painful of a poison I need to make."  
Amity's eyes widened. "It only started recently. Before it was just scolding and talking down to me. You wouldn't think that was bad but they said some awful things."  
Luz sat on the couch next to her. "Do they do it to your siblings, too?"  
Amity shook her head. "They don't hit them. I don't know if they talk to the twins like that. Edric and Emira are the 'star children we always wanted.' I'm just a failure." She stared down at the hem of her shirt she twisted in knots.  
"No you're not," Luz asserted. "You work really hard and you're the top of the class. You're the smartest and strongest witch I know." Amity smiled, a tint of red dusting her cheeks.  
Eda hummed. "Luz, go get the potions book. The illegal one with the brass binding."  
Luz jumped up and bounded out of the room. Amity watched her leave, suddenly feeling very small and out-of-place.  
"So, kid. What do you think is the best time to commit a murder in your household?"  
Amity stared at the older witch, the full force of what she was asking of the assassin hitting her. "I- I don't-"  
"It's alright if you can't think of anything. We have plenty of time to prepare, but I want you looking out for a time in their schedule when they let their guard down. Can you do that?"  
Amity straightened her back. "I can do that." Why was she sad? Or worried? It's not like they ever cared for her. They didn't even deserve her attention. "Miss Owl Lady, can I help you?"  
Eda raised an eyebrow. "Help me murder your parents?"  
Amity nodded vigorously. "Please."  
Whatever Eda was going to say was interrupted by Luz loudly announcing her arrival in the room, returning with the small, black demon and a large decrepit book.  
King jumped down from the human's shoulder and sauntered over to Amity, where he promptly plopped down and demanded pets.  
The young witch lifted her arm to scratch the demon's belly and yelped when her wrist caught in her bag strap. The assassins glanced up from the book they were scanning and eyed her.  
"What happened?" Luz gushed.  
"Nothing. It's just a bruise."  
"You don't have to lie to us," Eda commented. "Come with me. I'll patch you up."

* * *

Amity winced. "Do you really have to push so hard?"  
"You want it to stick, don't you? It won't hurt long." Eda finished placing the healing glyphs and put her kit away. "Now about that request. Do you really want to learn?"  
Amity nodded. "I need to do this myself. I can pull out snails slowly. By the time I'm ready I should have enough to fend for myself."  
The Owl Lady shook her head. "I can't let you do that. You and your siblings can stay here until the coast is clear. As far as the Emperor's Coven needs to know; you ran to the closest adult you knew."  
"But doesn't that mean she'll need to tell Edric and Emira?"  
"I can convince them to go to a friend's house," Amity suggested.  
"That won't work." Eda set a bottle of dark green slime on the counter. "They'd have to come home eventually. You're just gonna have to tell them. I suggest doing that last minute to avoid blabbing. Perhaps Luz can have a 'sleepover' the night we do it."  
The human's face lit up. "Can I have a sleepover tonight?" She gripped the young witch's good arm. "Amity, do you want to sleepover?"  
Amity blushed. "Sleepover?" The green-haired girl couldn't remember the last time she'd been to a sleepover with someone who genuinely cared. Sure, Skara was nice to her, but the witch wasn't much better than her peers with the bullying and flaunting of status.  
"Yeah! We can stay up and tell stories. We can eat junk and watch movies." The human gasped loudly in Amity's ear, making the witch cringe. "We can read my Azura books! I do great voices!"  
"I- I'd have to ask." She fumbled for her scroll, deciding upon messaging her sister instead of her parents. Luz bounced, flipping pages in the book before her absently.  
 _Hey, Em. Could you tell Mother that I'm staying out late to study?_  
"If they're even home," Amity muttered. It seemed like the only time they were around was to scold her. Her scroll pinged.  
 _They're not home. I will if they come._  
The Blights left unsaid what they knew. They wouldn't come home tonight. And if they did, it would be long after the twins went to sleep. They probably wouldn't even notice the youngest witch was gone.  
"So can you?" The human bounced eagerly and Amity wondered if she ever stopped moving.  
"Yes."  
Luz squealed and tugged her arm up, prompting a small smile and color from the witchling. "Let's go up to my room. I can show you the whole series and the movies and my action figures." She tugged Amity's arm toward the stairs. The witch stood and let the girl drag her around the house, chattering incessantly about her favorite book series.

* * *

"I was certain there was a spare in here," Luz called from the corner of her room. Amity shifted her weight nervously, scanning the room with interest. The walls were obscured, covered to the ceiling with human clutter and garbage. A small space cleared on the floor was home to a small mattress and a dresser shoved against the only clear wall.  
"Hah!" Luz threw her arms up with a rolled sleeping bag above her head, drawing Amity from her inspection. "I found it. Now we can read!" She rolled out the bag next to the mattress and plopped down, the springs creaking in a very concerning manner.  
Amity hesitantly sat on the unzipped bag and slid her legs under the cover. She passed the Good Witch Azura book beside her over to Luz, who read Azura's lines dramatically.  
"You do Hecate," she said as she passed the book to Amity.  
"Uh, I don't-"  
"Come on! No hard judgment on your voice here! Just read it out loud; be enthusiastic!" The human threw her hands up and Amity stared down at the sleeping bag in her hands, a small smile gracing her face.  
"Ok." She read the lines, earning random prompts from Luz to be louder when she got quiet.  
This entire interaction was strange to Amity. The last time she had that much fun at a sleepover was with Willow as a child. Her 'friends' her parents set her up with didn't do much but scroll through Penstagram and bully other students.  
"Hey." Amity looked up at Luz, startled. "You were zoning out there. You okay?"  
Amity paused, searching Luz's face. "Yeah. It's been a while since I've had a real friend."  
"Are you and Willow hanging out again?" Luz set the book down. "I saw you guys walk home together the other day."  
"We went to the library. Did you know she found that secret room with me?" Luz shook her head. "It was when we were reading the romance books when we weren't supposed to." The witch chuckled. "I tugged on this one book and the shelf slid aside. It was our hideout. Where she'd find me if I was absent from home after. . ." She didn't need to finish the sentence.  
"Did she know?"  
"Not all of it. Just that I didn't want to be home. That I didn't like my parents."  
"Oh." The pair sat in silence for a moment.  
"We should probably go to sleep. We do have school tomorrow," Amity rolled away and dropped her head on her pillow.  
Luz stared at her back for a moment before laying down. "You're probably right." She tapped the light ball between them, its light dimming them disappearing with a soft pop. Amity was left in the dark with her thoughts. Luz's soft breathes her only solace. A reassurance she wasn't alone.


End file.
